South Island Reunion
by Shadow Commando
Summary: Having been reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 5 years, Manic Hedge and his family visit his relatives on South Island where he must help his cousin Ashura deal with his own troubled past. (Sequel to Counterfeit Manic)
1. Fresh Start

**Here we are! The sequel to Counterfeit Manic, although I imagine many of you already knew that since this is a rewrite of the original. I was also going to rate it M, but decided to keep it at a T unless M becomes absolutely necessary, due to several requests for such, but I hope most of you won't mind, so enjoy the second part of the trilogy in the meantime.**

April 2nd, 2010.

6 days ago, I watched Colin "Snively" Robotnik, the man that tried to drag me back to hell, shot dead by the father I never knew I had. 17 days ago, I returned home with the family I never knew I had. 23 days ago, I was freed from the hell I'd lived in for 5 long years.

What a difference a month makes. I'd spent most of it pretending to be Manic Hedge, so that I could have his life and family, fearing more than anything else that they'd know I was Scourge, some scrap that Robotnik picked up off the street and locked in his basement, who then decided to impersonate their dead son. But my fears were laid to rest when the family I'd tried so hard to be a part of showed me undeniable proof that I had always been one of them, that the identity I had believed was mine for so long was a lie planted into my mind by the monster that brainwashed me to forget the wonderful life I'd enjoyed as a child.

It had been less than a week since finding that out, so I was still in a bit of a daze, not quite ready to accept that all my problems were truly over, and that I could relax and enjoy my new family, which had always been mine.

That didn't mean I wouldn't try.

"Do I raise it?" I asked, referring to the wii remote I was holding.

Sonic and Sonia had brought me down into the basement to play Wario Ware. Other than coming down into the basement to attack the punching bag to practice my Snively smashing skills, like I had two weeks earlier, and working out occasionally, I wasn't too keen on visiting a proverbial dungeon after having been imprisoned in one for the last 5 years, even if the one under my REAL house was a lot nicer than the one I was accustomed to. My brother and sister, Sonic and Sonia, however, insisted on leaving the game systems down here where they'd been since they first got them, and insisted on me playing with them down here in the hopes of helping me overcome my fear of basements. Admittedly, I was a bit sore about it, but I knew they had a point. I'd decided to take the fight to Snively after he threatened to rat me out to my own family, back when we both thought I was impersonating their son, and if I could overcome my fear of Chuckie the Doll's hairless brother, I could most certainly tackle a bit of gaming under my own house.

It was now my turn and the screen switched to an image of a man with a glass of orange juice tipped toward his mouth. I knew I was supposed to make him drink it, but I wasn't sure which way I was supposed to move the wii-mote. Only thing my bro and sis told me was "DO IT!"

I raised the remote- and the retard on the screen dumped the OJ all over his face.

All three of us busted out laughing, though I'm pretty sure I laughed the hardest since I was still getting used to the idea of having this much fun everyday.

"You're too fast!" taunted Sonic.

Ironic since he normally poked fun at me for being too slow.

Right about then, we heard the door open and Jules…I mean, "dad" called to us.

"I'll need all three of you up here for a minute. Me and your mom have something to tell you," he said.

We didn't hesitate to scurry up the stairs like the oversized rodents we were, and as I emerged from the doorway, I half expected someone to stop me and send me back down into my makeshift prison. Old habit from my years of captivity in…Robotnik's basement. Thinking back on that always made me upset that it happened in the first place, but at the same time, I felt relieved beyond words that it was over and I was back with my mom, dad, brother, and sister again, and was more than happy to turn my focus away from the video games and spend some time with them.

Seating ourselves down on the living room couch, as if for a photo, Sonic took it a bit further by asking very ominously, "What is thy bidding, my master?"

"Our bidding is what we'll be doing for the next week," replied Aleena, the mother I'd dreamed of having, even before remembering that she was, in fact, my mother.

Oh the memories…

"Wait, what?" I asked, recalling something about what we'd be doing for a whole week, which sounded pretty important.

"Well, Manic's been back for a whole month, and we've had all that time to spend with him," explained Dad, "however, the rest of the family has only been able to talk to him over the phone, them being all the way on South Island, down in the Pacific."

I liked where this was going.

"We talked it over with the rest of the family, and they agreed to let us stay with them on South Island for a week," announced Mom, excitedly.

"We're going on vacation?!" squeaked Sonia, a living conduit for her mother's giddiness.

"We're going over there to spend time with the family," explained Dad, "so yes, I guess you could say we are."

My bro and sis, who shared similar names, both bounced on the couch, whooping their approval, while I on the other hand was too caught up in the memories of all the times I'd been with Ashura, Caity, Cosmic, Bobby, Match, Skye, and more recently, Sunny. We'd only been with them a few times, us living so far apart from each other, but of all the occasions in which we got together, the one that stuck out the most was a Halloween party seven years earlier…now that I could remember things again.

Ever since I was able to remember the life Robotnik brainwashed me to forget about, I'd gone about my daily life as I had for the past month, but in a sort of daze, not quite used to not having to fear rejection from the family I'd wanted, and now belonged to. That alone was enough to make my head spin, even after a week, but now, I'd get to revisit another part of my life, two in fact.

One was the time we all flew down to South Island back in February of 2001 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Landfall Day, which commemorated both the day we Mobians arrived on Earth in Space Colony Ark on February 26, 1991, which was the same day several of the Hawaiian Islands were converted into the Emerald Island Cluster as a homeland for our kind three years later in 1994, one of them being the former island of Maui, which became South Island, being the lowest of the Emerald Isles. Me being close to 5 at the time, I don't remember much about it. What I did remember was the unusually pleasant weather that made me sleepy. I also remember my older cousin Ashura holding me as we watched the fireworks together.

The other was the Halloween Party at Skye's house, in 2003. I could still taste the many goodies everyone made and brought to the gathering. And I couldn't forget the epic pranking spree me, Caity, Skye, and Ashura went on (which of us four could possibly forget that- amnesia aside?). The four of us going around the neighborhood causing chaos, then coming back for an awesome party. Even now, the nostalgia brought moisture to my eyes as I remembered how much fun I had with all of them. But now I'd get to see all of them again after so long.

It was all so sudden that it felt too good to be true- even after we ran upstairs to our rooms to begin packing.

Dad had given us all a list of basic essentials to bring along for the week long trip. Things like socks, underwear, changes of clothes, hygiene supplies, and how much of it all we'd need, stuff like that.

Getting to my room, however, all the things in it stuck out to me like they'd never been there before. I'd been so caught up in the nostalgia fest that I took notice of things I previously hadn't…such as the old Nintendo 64 sitting in front of the small TV across the room. Didn't mean as much, but I remembered the fun me and Sonic used to have with Skye when we'd play multiplayer games together, two of our favorites being Super Smash Brothers and Goldeneye 64.

(June, 2002)

_The metallic door to the Archives' Interrogation Room clicked open and a raven haired Englishman in a tuxedo rushed in and scooped up the ZMG lying in the middle of the room, then equipped it as he turned around and scanned the exploding box-filled Execution Chamber just outside, and the hall leading to the stairwell on his right. Nothing, so far, but Bond was blessed with the power of screen peaking, and could peer into his opponents' vision, allowing him to see what they saw, which would have been special if they didn't also have that exact same ability. It felt even less advantageous when he gazed into his enemy's vision and saw himself in the crosshairs from the other end of the execution chamber._

_Bond instinctively darted back into the interrogation room as an unnervingly familiar ***PATATATAT* **tore up the doorway where he'd been standing only a split second before. His pulse quickened as he ran all possible outcomes through his mind, trying desperately to think of a way out of his predicament, knowing full well that even his newly acquired Micro Uzi might not be enough to save him from the AR33 his opponent had cornered him with, as no other weapon could match its firepower, save for the Golden Gun, which was an instant kill weapon._

_He remembered the legend attached to the pistol; "One shot from the Golden Gun means one bad guy eliminated." Likewise, one burst from the AR33 meant one Game Over. Even the blast of the weapon was vastly unique from any other, resembling the sound of paper tearing, which sent chills down the spine of any Goldeneye Veteran. Even rookies would never forget their first time hearing an AR33 on parade- mainly because each burst was accompanied by a game over animation, played to the tune of Bond's theme music as blood cascaded over the screen, ending the player's life the same way each Bond film began._

_"Come awn oat, mistor boned!" demanded Xenia, her Georgian accent badly distorting her words._

_"But I don't have any oats!" whined James, still cowering inside his closet of a room._

_This was worse than he thought. Getting cornered by anyone with a 33 would give anyone a bad day, but this was Steel-Thighs herself that he was up against. She wasn't the type of person to grant her victims a quick death without strangling them in a majorly awkward position._

_He didn't have to worry for long, though, because he heard the unmistakable sound of a KF7 Soviet trumpeting away while Xenia cried out, orange and blue half-circles filling her vision. She turned to return fire, but only got off a few badly aimed shots before she collapsed in a musical cascade of her own blood._

_"Gotchu!" shouted Trevelyan triumphantly._

_Bond would have thanked his partner-turned-traitor and run down the hallway when he realized the AR was within his field of view, which meant Trevelyan would have to run out where he could see him in order to pick it up._

_The Double O Agent smirked as he leveled his ZMG and waited for Alec to run out where he could see him…_

(Present)

Just one of many adventures me and Sonic had with Skye. That time, Skye (Trevelyan) had saved me from Sonic (Xenia), while I was about to figuratively stab my savior in the back. Such was the nature of the game. But then baby Sonia waddled in and made a big deal out of us letting her play, and basically ruined the whole thing.

I thought that was crummy at the time, but as I found out not long afterward, there are far worse things in life than a game being ruined by someone that merely wants to be included in the fun.

To be left out of family activities must be almost as bad as being ripped away from your own family. As clichéd as it sounds, words can never hope to describe the awful despair and hopelessness I felt when it sank in that I'd never get to see my parents or brother or little sister again. So many times I played moments like that gaming party through my mind, wishing I could go back and be a better brother and son to those who really did care for me…more than the monster that took me away could ever pretend to.

I don't remember how long I stood there reliving the horror and regret of my kidnapping before the sound of my little sister calling my name snapped me out of it. I turned from the sunset window to see Sonia standing in the doorway of my room, holding a shiny toy revolver in her hand.

"I think this is yours," she said, her voice stoic and emotionless, "I brought it into my room to look at it, a few months back, before you were found."

My mind raced back to another part of my life.

(October, 2003)

_He quickly dived at the bottom of the bed and pulled up the blanket draped over the side and aimed his weapon at the bed's underside, but saw nobody._

_Then he heard a noise behind him and rolled over onto his back to see a figure dressed in red jumping out of the laundry hamper placed against the wall across from him. He quickly raised his revolver toward the figure and pulled the trigger. A loud crash like thunder echoed through the house, and the figure crumpled back into the hamper from whence he came._

_"I win!" laughed Manic, blowing imaginary smoke off the orange tip of the barrel of his plastic cap gun._

_"No fair," said Sonic, climbing out of the laundry hamper in his devil costume, "you have a gun, but all I got is a pitchfork."_

(Present)

"I really missed you," continued Sonia, "…we all did."

Her voice was choked up, and the way she clutched the toy suggested childlike guilt over taking something that didn't belong to her, like she'd disturbed the heirloom of a dead relative.

To think that she wasn't that far from being right. A week ago, I didn't remember any of that, not the gun I played with, not the Halloween party I took it to, not the family and friends I had, or even myself. I, Manic Hedge, was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

I didn't know what was worse, that, or seeing my little sister that I had so many regrets about still hurting because of something involving me? I didn't want to see her still upset about my kidnapping anymore than I wanted to relive it, especially over something so pointless. Too many times I'd pushed her away when she tried to join in with me and my friends. She was a toddler that wanted to be with us, and I turned her away. Of all the regrets I had after being taken from my family for what I thought would be forever, that was probably the worst. Coming back from the dead, I didn't want anyone to bear the burden of my past sins. It was time to use the second chance I'd been given.

Saying nothing, I walked right up to Sonia and pulled her into the tightest bear hug I could muster, not wanting to let her go. She was startled by the unexpected embrace, but didn't resist, instead holding me just as tight while her head rested on my shoulder, both of us letting the painful past melt away.

"Sonia," I whispered, "do you remember when Skye used to play with me and Sonic?"

"Kind of…I was really small, back then," she whispered back.

"Do you remember wanting to play with us three?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sonia replied, not even the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice, which meant she remembered those times very clearly, along with the constant rejection by me and Sonic.

"I accept you," I whispered.

She raised her head from my shoulder to look at me and said, "I'm not mad about that. What happened to you was a lot worse."

From the way she said that, she must have thought what happened to her was meaningless if it wasn't as bad as what I went through.

"When…the fat man took me away, there was so many things I wanted to go back and change, things I'd done wrong. I kept thinking about all those times you tried to play with me and Sonic. I kept wanting to fix that, to tell you that I never meant to hurt you, because knowing all the things that I did wrong and couldn't fix hurt me worse than the fat man did."

As I spoke, my voice shook and cracked as I struggled to maintain my composure, the mere memory of the despair and utter loss I felt during those dark days shaking me to my very core. I had meant what I said about the regret being worse than the beatings, because injuries healed over time, while trauma could be overcome. It was the pain a person inflicted on others that flayed their very soul, for one cannot have peace of mind while remembering all the terrible things they've done to others and knowing that they'll never be able to make up for them, and as the saying goes, "there ain't no rest for the wicked." I regretted pushing Sonia away at an age where she needed affection like she needed air, but that was just one of several things I'd done that I thought I'd never be able to make up for. Perhaps that was the main reason I'd forced myself to forget everything.

"Manic," Sonia replied, "I forgive you."

That was probably the best response I could have hoped for. Already, I could feel my pain beginning to melt away inside as I held onto the sister I'd spent many nights in a cold, hard basement wanting to make things up to. I had deep regrets, but taking care of one of them had been easy enough.

While pondering the other things I could make up for, my gaze shifted to my window where the sun was still setting. No different than before Sonia walked in, but it took on a new meaning as I realized how long I'd gone without seeing a sunset at all. After 5 years in a basement, seeing rays of sunlight piercing through a dust filled bedroom was strangely mesmerizing, in a serene way. Dwelling on a part of my life in which I'd been imprisoned in darkness- WITH my own darkness, no less- seeing something as familiar as the sun poking into my own room brought on another wave of nostalgia, the realization that love, warmth, a home, everything I'd wanted for so long was now mine and always had been, but with that came something new: forgiveness. Knowing that I could make peace with my whole family brought a deep sense of peace that left me feeling truly fulfilled for the first time in years.

Watching Sonia head back to her own room to continue packing, and to attend to her chao, Sophia, I looked over at the half closed door to Sonic's room to see him packing away like the rest of us, while listening to his iPod.

I'd made up with Sonia and decided to do the same with Sonic while I was at it, and while I hadn't shut Sonic out of group activities like I had my little sister, we'd still gotten into plenty of fights before I was taken away. Most of it started shortly after I'd stopped a burglar in our house, using a new karate move Ashura taught me that same night. For a while, I was a hero to everyone in my house, and everyone who lived near it. Uncle Chuck was especially proud of me because he was a Police Officer who'd seen too many people that didn't defend their homes when broken into. I'd wanted to be a cop like him for as long as I could remember, so to have someone like him praising me for following his example made me feel unstoppable, like I was destined to be the Ultimate Cop.

But I made a very rookie mistake: I let the pride go to my head.

From then on, I became more protective of those around me. If I could stop a big mean grizzly burglar with my bare hands, then it was my job to protect the innocent from the world around them. It started out noble enough, me letting kids around the neighborhood know if what they were doing was unsafe, breaking up a few fights, and even removing a snake from a playground. But such incidents were few and far inbetween, and weren't enough. Unwilling to let go of what I felt was my purpose in life, I moved on to smaller affairs, sticking my nose where it didn't belong, asserting my authority on matters where I had no business, such as tattling on kids for littering, spilling a drink, and even leaving clothes on the floor. Small things that were harmless on their own, but over time, accumulated into a serious nuisance that my own parents got after me for. I'd become very disciplined in keeping myself tidy and well groomed, but insisted on making everyone else follow my example, effectively usurping not just my own parents' authority, but that of others at times.

No one became more sore about it than my dear old brother, Sonic, for whom_ sibling rivalry_ took on a whole new meaning, which was even harder for both of us since we used to get along with eachother more than most brothers or sisters thought possible. In fact, one day, when the three of us had gone to the mall with mom, me and Sonic had a pretty heated argument over me thinking I was in charge, and even mom had had enough of it and took Sonic's side completely. I was so angry that I wandered toward the game arcade by myself, where I ran into Robotnik, and the rest being history.

The wedge driving our family apart and culminating in my kidnapping started with that self defense move that my cousin Ashura taught me. Thinking back on it, I could see the irony of it all, but that came with a bitter aftertaste when I remembered what it led to. While I wasn't naive enough to think that my "disappearance" was a direct result of me fighting with Sonic, neither was I eager to continue where we left off. Just as my time in captivity will always be with me, so will that first week back home. Though I had forced myself to forget that I was apart of the Hedge famiy, the love, warmth, and safety that they showered me with made me feel like I was where I belonged, where home was meant to be. During those first few nights- and even now, today- my own inflated sense of superiority that sprouted from one heroic deed was as nothing. I didn't want to prove how much better I was than Sonic. I didn't want to impress him. I didn't even want him to do as I told him. All I wanted now was for him to accept me as his twin brother, to acknowledge me as a member of his family, to know that I had a legitimate right to be apart of the same family as him after having had no love, no warmth, and certainly no safety for so long.

Strolling up to Sonic's door, I saw that his attention was still fixed on packing, having not noticed me because of the earphones drowning out my approach. The clear lack of attention made for an inviting target, and I was tempted to try something devious since I had the advantage of surprise that any prankster would have envied, but such tendencies were part of the reason I was here in the first place, and to indulge them now would only undermine my attempt to make up for past mistakes, not to mention how much better my attempt to make things up with Sonia had gone than I'd expected, so I had even more reason not to screw this up.

"Yo, bro!" I said calmly, while waving to get him to notice me from the corner of his gaze. While I could have just waved to him, calling to him made it easier to continue talking to him, since I'd have to, anyway.

Removing his earphones, Sonic asked, "You called?"

Getting straight to the point, I in turn asked, "Do you remember those fights we used to have, back when I wanted to be a cop?"

Sonic pondered that for a moment before replying, "Kind of. You seemed to think you _were_ a cop."

I hesitated for a moment, as five years of forced silence made it difficult to speak openly to people, and especially to someone who looked capable of putting me in a world of hurt, since he'd been taking good care of his body while I'd been starving in a basement. Nevertheless, I forced myself to continue.

"Well I've had alot of time to think about that, and I don't want us to have anymore fights. I don't care about being the one in charge, or about making everyone do what I want, I just want us all to be a family again, like we've been doing for the past month, so I apologize for being the way I was."

For a moment, Sonic said nothing as he considered my words, then stood up straighter and, with a more serious look on his face, told me, "Manic, I don't hold that against you. While you did go overboard with telling other people what to do at times, you were just trying to keep everyone safe. And sure, the way you did it was a bit misguided, but the last time anything like that happened, we were both 9. Even adults can make pretty big mistakes, so I wouldn't expect someone as young as you were at the time to know everything."

I knew he had a point, but having felt so much guilt build up over those incidents during my captivity, I still found it hard to let go of them, not to mention that I hadn't had as much room to change like Sonic had, since I'd been snatched away and isolated from anything that would have developed my character in any positive way for 5 years.

"When Robotnik took me away..." I began, "I wanted to see you, Sonia, and mom and dad one more time. I wanted to feel your hands touching me again, to hear you all telling me how much you loved me. But most of all, I wanted to take back every bad thing I'd ever done and said to all of you."

Tears filled my eyes and my throat tightened as I relived that part of my life for the second time that night, remembering how utterly foolish I had felt at all the things I'd done to create fiction between me and my twin equal, knowing how different things might have been between us. Few siblings ever feel the kind of love for each other that they feel for others, but despite our rivalry, I completely lost my ability to feel animosity of any kind toward Sonic, once I realized I might never see him again. In that terrible, all-consuming horror, memories of better days with my brother came rushing back to me with the force of a freight train, as if screaming my stupidity at me for having wasted what little time I had with him.

Seeing my distress, Sonic grasped my shoulders, much like Jules had when telling me that he knew who I really was, and said, "Bro, after what you went through, I couldn't care less about something that happened between us years ago when we were too immature to remember all of it. What happened to you was monstrous, but you survived and are recovering better than we all expected, and that's all I care about. You may have felt bad about what happened between us, but that was the last thing on our minds, and it certainly didn't cross mine. When you opened your eyes again for the first time since being rescued, THAT was when things started over between us. After worrying about what had happened to you for all these years, all I could ever ask of you is to live again."

As he spoke, his eyes also watered over, removing any doubts about the conviction behind his words. It also reminded me how loved I was, that no one would ever want to keep me safe and comfortable as much as those who made me and raised me.

"You might have caused disagreements between us, but fights require two participants, so I wasn't exactly innocent, either," continued Sonic, "When you were taken away, I felt like I had caused it to happen since you had stormed off after mom broke up a fight between you and me...and that was the last we ever saw of you. For nearly half a decade, I woke up to discover you were still missing, and all because of that stupid fight that drove you away, right into the arms of someone vile enough to steal you away forever. Even now, I still wonder if I was to blame for it all. Every tear mom and dad shed, every phone call to the authorities, every waking minute spent worrying about you, all of it rooted in something I had played a part in."

By now, the tears in his eyes had made their way down his face as he let out what he'd been bottling up this entire time.

"You felt bad over the fights we had, but I felt responsible for losing you. All these years, you were all I wanted. I didn't care about the fights, not when I was wondering if you were still alive, and certainly not when it caused all of us so much pain. To have you back again was an honest to God miracle. My prayers had been answered, but then you went even further and got back on your feet like it was nothing. To see you alive, healthy, and happy again is more than I could ask from you, so please don't dwell on disagreements we had so long ago, just...live."

I honestly hadn't imagined someone like Sonic feeling bad over my disappearance. Hearing him tell me that changed my perspective of the whole thing completely, opening my eyes to an entirely new aspect that brought to light Sonic's own faults. However, my aim was not to reopen old wounds, lest I make new ones. I still wanted only to make peace with true blue and go back to the way things had been before, during the good old days. If all he asked of me was to do just that, then who was I to deny him his request?

I gave Sonic the clearest answer I could think of, and one he probably didn't expect, when I moved toward him and pulled him into a tight hug like I'd done with Sonia. Neither of us was used to this sort of interaction, but what better way to show him that I accepted his request to recover my life, and that I in turn wanted him to accept me?

He answered my unspoken request almost immediately when he hugged me back, his surprisingly strong arms holding me against him. From the strength of his grip on me, it became that much more obvious how much of an advantage he had over me with all the time he'd had to build himself up, but I felt better knowing that made him all the more capable of watching my back, like all bros should.

"Do you forgive me?" I asked, my head resting on his shoulder.

"Only if you do the same for me," Sonic replied.

"Count on it, bro," I replied, smiling.

That was it. The deed was done. I felt my unease and awkwardness give way to warm contentment, and realized that sibling rivalries were mere illusions. Figments of our imagination that distract us from what really matters.

Even if we hadn't been getting ready to go to Hawaii, that would have been okay, because at that moment, I finally had everything I'd ever wanted, both inside and out. The upcoming Family Reunion on Hawaii, however, made my return even sweeter, because if I could make that kind of peace with my brother and sister, I couldn't wait to see what a reunion with the whole family would bring. I was on a roll. I had it all going my way. I felt like nothing bad could ever happen to me again.

If only…


	2. Big Day

**I combined the last two chapters into one so I could get through more of the story in fewer chapters, and will put more content and detail into each one from now on to get this story out of the way faster, so I hope this chapter is long enough for you all. ;)**

(Manic's House)

I was drawn gently from my slumber by a pleasant warmth that, upon opening my sleepy eyes, turned out to be the sun coming in through my bedroom window. While this wasn't the first time it woke me up like that since coming back home again, neither had I gotten used to something so wonderful, as I'd only had a few weeks of this compared to nearly 5 years of cold stone walls to greet me every morning. Not to mention a cold stone floor and dirty rags as my bed, which made getting out of my real bed that much harder since I hadn't gotten used to that, either, and I might have just fallen back into my otherworldly slumber since the digital clock on my dresser told me we still had a few hours before we had to be at the airport, but something else was on my mind. Namely, filling my empty stomach with anything I could get my hands on.

Forcing myself out of my heavenly cloud of a bed, I placed my feet onto the carpeted floor and hoisted myself up to a standing position, needing a moment to adjust to a floor that felt soft enough to sink into, since I wasn't used to that, either. Seemed like everything in this house was 10 times softer than in Robotnik's. After regaining my sense of balance, I staggered somewhat lazily out of my room, toward the stairs. Getting down them the first few times had proven challenging, but I was eventually able to overcome my fear of sinking into carpeted floors and stairs. Even so, it still felt like walking on water, but ultimately, it was a small price to pay for coming back from the dead. And what better way to celebrate than all the grapes I could eat?

Finally hitting the floor, I found it easier to continue walking, my fear of falling down the stairs now behind me, and strolled up to the mighty metal doors of what is widely known as a fridge, and pulled the door on my right open to reveal all sorts of food that only a month ago I could have never hoped to get close to. It still made me teary-eyed to remember how hungry 'd been for so long, but at the same time, knowing that I'd never have to worry about that again made all my other worries melt away.

Nothing brings joy and security like abundance, especially with food.

Gazing upon the fridge's bounty, my eyes settled on the fruit section. Sure enough, there was the grapes. What better way to begin the day than with a bowl of nature's candy? Round, crunchy shells full of juicy sweetness, and a whole bag, to top it all off. But even better was a container full of strawberries placed right next to them. Mixing myself a bowl of strawberries and grapes, I nearly cackled as I carried my coveted bounty over to the couch in the family room, plopping myself down in the exact same spot in which I'd enjoyed pizza my first night back home, almost 3 weeks earlier. That being said, I thought back to my five year captivity, and while it would always remain in my memory, it also made me that much more thankful for what I now had, especially the food, As I munched away on my fruit salad, I felt near ecstatic to know that of all the things I still had to worry about, starvation wasn't one of them.

(Elsewhere)

My conciousness began to stir, and awareness gradually returned to my senses as I heard someone calling my name.

"Ash!" the gentle voice repeated softly.

Slowly forcing my eyelids open, I felt a heavy weight crash down on my shoulders as everything came back to me.

"Wakey, wakey, you big gerbil," giggled a brown bat sitting next to my bed, holding a bowl of sliced apples and bananas, "Gotta have some fruit to begin your big day."

Big day indeed. I was to go back home and meet my immediate and extended family, all of whom believed I had been dead for nearly 3 years. It would have been an awkward confrontation on its own, except that that I wasn't sure if I hated them more than they hated me. And that was the last time we'd heard from eachother. After Uncle Jules and Aunt Aleena had convinced me to go with them to South Island for the planned reunion, I was left to wonder if the rest of the family would be happy to see me, or disappointed, since the last time we acted civil toward eachother was...never.

"Gonna need a few good doses of ibuprofen just to get me through my _big day_," I murmured back as I lazily pushed myself up into a sitting position and accepted the bowl of fruit she'd carved for me.

I was in a Safehouse near Dallas, Texas, where I'd been recovering for the past few months after my discharge from the Chaotix, with my partner Roxanne as my only companion. Not my first choice in exotic resorts, but at least I didn't have the loud vulgarity of drill instructors, or family infighting to ruin the peaceful quiet I'd grown accustomed to. The latter, however, was going to change in a few short hours, because I doubted that even my unexpected return from the grave would get my parents to stop bickering for long.

"Just remember that no matter what happens, I'll be there to back you up," Roxanne reassured me as she used her wings to pull me into a warm embrace. I was still tired, so I rested my head against her shoulder while my hands found their way around to her back, one still holding the fruit bowl. Old wounds were sure to be reopened before the day was out, and I didn't want to think about it right now.

"And don't forget who is coming with us!" said Roxanne.

As much as I dreaded facing my parents, it did help me feel better to know that I'd be seeing Manic again. I'll never forget the near ecstasy I felt, once it sank in that Sonic had told me over the phone that Manic was alive and recovering. After wondering what had happened to my favorite cousin for 5 long years, I could finally rest easier, knowing that he'd be okay, after all. But even that didn't fully prepare me for hearing Manic's voice over the phone when he called me...

"You alright?" inquired Roxanne, snapping me out of my reminiscing, apparently noticing something odd about my behavior that I hadn't.

I was thinking about Manic," I explained, "how I felt when I heard him talk to me again."

Two weeks earlier, Manic had called me on my phone to talk to me. To say I'd been worried sick about where he'd been for the last 5 years was no exaggeration. I'd heard from Sonic a week and a half earlier that he'd been found, but to hear Manic speaking again was more than I could handle at that moment. As soon as I recognized the innocent quality I remembered his voice possessing, all the built-up fear about Manic's fate was released instantaneously, taking a mountainous weight off my shoulders. I was so overwhelmed with relief that I burst into tears, dropping the phone in the process. I was still quite shaken when I called him back, and even now, I still couldn't believe I was going to see him again after all the time I'd spent convincing myself that Manic was dead and not still suffering.

"Think about what it will be like to see him again," suggested Rox, her tone of voice suggesting a wink.

After losing so many people I'd known and cared for, I was finally getting one back. For once, something good would finally happen.

"Definitely a good reason to get out of bed," I replied, summoning the will to get up and face the day ahead of me.

I hoped my own family wouldn't mess that up.

(Manic)

After making up with Sonic and Sonia, I felt complete, fulfilled. Regrets that I'd carried with me for a good portion of my life had finally been eased, which, along with me being safe at home again, gave me a strong urge to hug everyone to let them know how much I loved all of them. I couldn't do it right now since they were all asleep, but one thing I _could_ do at this time of day was give them something pleasant to wake up to. I'd already made peace with my brother and sister, so this would be the perfect time to show some love to both of the people who not only took me in when I escaped Robotnik, but who had miraculously turned out to be my real parents. Even now, I still couldn't believe how blessed I was to have a mom and dad like them, whose love for me was like that of guardian angels, ESPECIALLY when compared to the man who I'd called "dad" for half a decade.

I decided to do something for my real parents that I know my fake one _never_ did for me, and began assorting another bowl of fruit, this time for them. A small mountain of grapes, strawberries, and orange slices later, I had to take a moment to admire my work. A near artistic collage of colorful candy that only nature could produce, and it would help my mom and dad wake up faster than coffee or sugar ever could have. An edible work of art that would make my parents' day a bit easier. One of my first real accomplishments outside Robotnik's house.

I don't consider myself boastful, but I felt quite proud of myself as I brought the small load up to mom and dad's room.

Turning the knob and silently pushing the door aside, I saw both my parents hugging in their sleep under the covers. I wanted to let them wake up on their own, and would have set the fruit on the nightstand beside them, but wondered how long it would take them to wake up, and whether the fruit could last that long (I'd spent a good part of my life in a basement, so cut me some slack)? Unwilling to leave anything to chance, I strolled up beside a sleeping Aleena, set the bowl carefully on the nightstand, then gently shook my mom awake.

"Mom?" I whispered as I nudged her, "Mom, wake up."

She moaned softly, then turned her head toward me as her eyelids parted to reveal icy blue irises that brought me back to better days. Some were of me and mom doing fun things together, while other memories were of her showing motherly affection. The one that stood out to me the most, however, was a very familiar dream I had of Aleena running down a snowy hill I'd just rolled down after falling off my sled, picking me up, and holding me. No feeling, then or now, could compare to the love and safety I felt in her arms, like nothing could touch me, along with the knowledge that no one would ever love me more than the woman who had given birth to me, and was now holding me (except my dad).

I remembered that well enough that it stuck with me even when all other memories had faded in the dark despair of my captivity in Robotnik's house. Remembering my mom was what led to me getting out of Robotnik's house, so it sufficed to say that her love literally saved my life. Just seeing my mother's blue orbs looking at me brought back that special moment that would live with me forever, and all I wanted right now was to relive it.

Setting the fruit on the nightstand, I bent down and hugged my mom as tight as I could, wanting to feel safe and loved again, feeling relieved when she returned the embrace, pulling me down on top of her as she held me, like she had 10 years earlier at the foot of a snowy hill.

"Are you alright?" she cooed in an all too familiar voice.

My eyes closed as I soaked up the nostalgic pleasantness, resting my head on her shoulder as she held me, but without the snowsuit I wore back then. I thought back to dreaming about it in Robtonik's basement, how wonderful it seemed at the time, and how much I wanted it to be reality after waking up. Now, here I was with everything I wanted.

"I'm okay," I whispered, contentedly as I felt her soft hands stroking my fur and quills.

How desperately I'd wanted Aleena to be my own mother after dreaming that she was. Realizing how real that "dream" had become, I was near ecstasy, almost wanting to scream. Though my mom held me in a warm hug, I was too excited to feel relaxed, knowing how blessed I was, and that all that was just the beginning of a much bigger adventure.

"I think we better wake Jules," giggled mom.

"You wake him, I'll get the fruit," I whispered, reaching for the bowl on the nightstand.

I had a mom that made me feel loved, but I also had a dad that made me feel safe, having already proven he'd do anything to protect me, by killing Snively when he tried to attack me again. Breakfast in bed was the least I could do for him, and I felt at peace, knowing this was, by no means, the last time he'd be there for me.

(Ashura)

Up I went, then back down, painstakingly hoisting myself up on a chin-up bar with both arms, then lowering myself back down just as slowly.

When I was first confined to this safehouse in the middle of scenic nowhere, I couldn't get out of bed, which caused m once proud body to atrophy, over time, and I would have stayed that way, if not for that aforementioned phone call, so now it was back to my exercises. After a lifetime of being the fat kid everyone made fun of in gym class, I was quite proud of how well I'd bulked up in the past few years, and having a reason to live again, I wasn't about to let the effort I put into my body go to waste.

"998, 999, 1000!" whooped Roxanne behind me.

"Har, har," I chuckled sarcastically, having only done about 50, "Let's see you get close to that!"

No reason I couldn't play along, as she was one of the few people I felt comfortable enough to goof around with, from time to time.

"You're on!" winked the bat, hopping onto the chin-up bar.

"No using wings!" I reminded her, as if I needed to.

"Hey, I made it this far, haven't I?" she asked, referring to our shared status as special ops..._former_ special ops.

"Can't argue with that," I replied, "You certainly exceeded my expectations."

Being a professional hacker, Roxanne wasn't exactly combat material, so her training was directed at evading, staying hidden, and- at most- self defense in close quarters.

"But I couldn't have done it without you," she said back to me.

She wasn't wrong. When she had been brought onto the team for her hacking skills, she was an overweight computer nerd who might not have bothered to help us, if not for her overwhelming sense of patriotism, which, at times, was the only thing keeping her from leaving, and in an organization like Task Force Chaotix, that's saying something. On the other hand, she'd never have lasted as long as she did if I hadn't been there to train her myself and turn her into the fitness model she now was. I'd once been a lazy fatty myself, so I had the patience and experience to help her become something she never thought possible, and did it so well that the commander decided we'd make good partners, a call which, more or less, turned out to be accurate. She hacked, I killed.

"With all that's happened in the past few months, I know exactly how you feel," I replied as I got down on my hands and feet to do push-ups.

I'd mentored and protected her for as long as we were together, serving our country as an army of two, and rising through the ranks of the Task Force as one, and even now, after I'd been discharged, she remained by my side. I was grateful for this, because I might have blown my head off long ago, if not for her, given why I'd been discharged in the first place...

(Manic)

I slowly pushed aside the door to Sonia's room to see her sleeping peacefully, as was Sophia in her glass cage.

"All clear," I whispered, as Aleena tip toed inside while Jules crept into Sonic's room.

I was curious about what he planned on doing, and strolled up to my blue furred twin's room to see him curled up on top of his blanket, instead of under it like Sonia. Jules turned to me and put a finger to his lips, indicating silence, before turning back to Sonic's sleeping form and stealthily grabbing all four corners of the blanket underneath him, then yanking them all up, raising the blanket above the bed, leaving Sonic to scramble around in his sack-like prison upon waking.

"Uh? Wah! Ah! Get me out!" he shouted from inside the makeshift sack Jules now held.

I busted out laughing, which mixed with Sonia's as she struggled just to beg Aleena to stop tickling her, over in her own room.

Her laughs died down, and Jules let go of his bagged hunt, which plopped onto the bed and released Sonic, who sat wide awake wondering, what had just happened, his eyes like saucers.

"You awake _now_?" chuckled Jules.

"I hope not," replied Sonic, his head still spinning.

Boy did I have a crazy family.

"It's not even close to noon. What's the rush?" continued Sonic groggily.

"It may be early, but today's a very big day, which makes it a very big deal, so I want us all to be well prepared ahead of time," replied Aleena, "Now help me and dad get breakfast ready. Uncle Chuck will be here before long."

"I'm up!" perked Sonia, clambering out of bed.

"Nu!" said Sonic defiantly, wrapping himself up in his blanket.

"There's bacon," assured Jules.

"I'm up!" squeaked Sonic, imitating Sonia.

He was a bit slow to get out of bed, so I challenged him with, "I'll beatcha there!" and ran out of the room, expecting him to follow.

"You go ahead," he replied, lazily, as he staggered toward the bathroom, scratching his butt.

"What a buzzkill," I sighed to no one in particular.

"I'll beatcha there!" bellowed Sonia, running past me, down the stairs.

Well played, princess.

I'd run after her, but there was a good chance one of us could trip, which, on a staircase, meant either tripping the one lagging behind, or falling down on the one in front, so I decided to sit this race out.

"I win!" cheered my eggplant colored sister, jumping in the air with the sort of enthusiasm only a preteen could possess.

"Congrats, would you like a cookie?" I joked.

Sonia ran to the pantry to get the pancake griddle out. Just a little girl approaching 13, but a big help. No reason she should be unique.

Helping her set up the griddle and other items as Sonic came down and joined in, I grew curious about what it would be like doing this with the entire family, with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It had been 9 years since we last visited them on South Island, and almost 7 years since we'd last seen them. Pancakes and bacon were exciting, but not nearly as much as sharing them with the cousins I'd done a _nuclear prank_ with, once upon a Halloween.

What sort of trouble might I get into with the gang, _this_ time...?


End file.
